It is common to contract a higher Internet rate, to be able to reach higher speeds and connect more devices without problems. In many cases, you will not necessarily have to change operators, but simply opt for a different rate. But do you need to change your router to be able to enjoy that higher speed? We are going to talk to you about this in this article. We are going to explain everything you need to know.
Keep in mind that we are mainly talking about reaching considerable speed. For example, you could go from having a 100 or 300 Mbps fiber optic contract to a 1 Gbps symmetrical one. Basically, having a much more advanced connection, with more bandwidth available to connect devices.
Whether or not to change the router when it has a higher rate
In general terms, it is not necessary to change routers when contracting a higher Internet rate. With the same device that you already have, you will be able to notice this improvement and not have problems when connecting your computer, mobile phone or any other device to the network. However, there are times when it will be necessary or advisable, at least, to achieve positive results and make the most of what you have contracted.
Analyze the characteristics of the device
The first thing you should look at to know whether or not you need to change the router when contracting a higher Internet rate is the characteristics of the device. By this we mean checking what is the maximum speed it supports, both via Wi-Fi and cable. You could have 100 Mbps contracted and your router does not work at more than Fast Ethernet via cable and, for example, 600 Mbps via Wi-Fi. If you contract 1 Gbps, you would not take advantage of it.
You will be able to consult this information on the official website of the device you have. This is important, as a bottleneck could occur if you have an older device and it does not support high-speed connections. In that case, you would be paying more money to never get to take advantage of it.
Do you also want to improve coverage?
Another factor to take into account is coverage. Maybe you have increased your Internet speed to be able to watch streaming videos in high definition and without interruptions, for example. It is possible that you have certain coverage problems and, although you increase the speed, you do not really take advantage of it.
If you see that coverage is limited with your current router, it is another reason to decide to change the device. You will be able to have more speed, but also greater capacity to connect devices from further away and without suffering annoying cuts.
Current standards
It is also a reason to change routers, if you have new devices that can make the most of that speed, but your router does not have compatibility with the latest, you could have restrictions. A clear example is if you have an older router and it is Wi-Fi 5. The most current ones will be Wi-Fi 6 or even Wi-Fi 7.
Therefore, you could change your device and be able to take better advantage of the maximum contracted speed, to be able to connect your devices to the Internet better. Especially, it is interesting if you have a fairly old model.
In short, when you change your Internet rate and hire another one with higher speed, in principle you will not have to change your router. However, there are circumstances in which it would be advisable, so that you can make the most of that speed and not have limitations.
